Indicator.



o. B. TROT'HER. INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 12, I913.

Patented July 4, 1916.

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APPLICATION FILED AUG. 12, I913- 1 1 89,407, v Patented July 4, 1916.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DONA'I B. TROTTIEB, 0F LEBANON, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

INDICATOR.

Application filed August 12, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DONAT B. TROTTIER,citizen of the United States, residing at Lebanon, in the county ofGrafton and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Indicators, of which the following is a Specification.

This invention relates to indicators, and has as its object to provide achangeable in dicator sign designed especially for use where it isdesired to display any one of a number of signs exteriorly of a buildingor other inclosed structure, the device being operated from within thebuilding.

It is one aim of the invention to so construct the device that theperson operating the same may determine at a glance the character of thesign displayed exteriorly of the building, the necessity of leaving thebuilding in order to note the sign presented to view, being in thismanner obviated.

Another aim of the invention is to provide a novel means for holdingthedevice fixed, when properly adjusted, to expose the desired sign,this means, coacting-with the drum which is located within the buildingand which indicates to the operator of the device, the nature of thesign exposed.

to view exteriorly of the building, the use of a separate pawl andratchet mechanism being in this manner obviated and the device beingrendered less expensive to manufacture and not as liable to get out oforder.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation of theindicator device embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation thereof, parts being shown in section and parts being brokenaway. Fig 3 is' a rear elevation of the indicator drum and a portion ofthe mechanism for rotating the sign drum. Fig. 4 is a side ele vation ofthe indicator drum shown in Fig. 3, the shaft upon which the drum ismount ed being shown in section.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawingsby the same reference characters.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the same is designedparticularly for use as an indicator for barber shops, the sign drumcarrying a number of sign members bearing various legends, such for eX-ample as Out, 1. Waiting, Next, etc.,

Patented July 4, 1916. Serial No. 784,395.

but it will be understood that it may be equally as well employed as astreet indicator for cars and in numerous other relations.

The indicator device embodying the present invention includes a signdrum carrying a plurality of sign members, the drum being mounted withina casing having a sight openlng opposite which the sign members aresuccessively brought as the drum is rotated, the drum being rotatedthrough a sprocket chain connection with a shaft carrying an indicatordrum having designa tions thereon bearing a certain definite relation tothe sign members and indicating which of the sign members is oppositethe sight opening in the casing. Where the de-. vice is to be employedor mounted upon the wall of a building or like structure, the caslnglnclosing the sign drum is supported upon a base, which in thedrawingsis indi. cated by the numeral 1 and which is secured in anysuitable manner upon the outer surface of the building wall. includes aback 2 which at its edge portions projects beyond the walls of thecasing, so as to provide an attaching portion through which and into thebase 1 are secured screws or other suitable fastening elements 3. Thecasing includes side walls 4, a bottom 5 and a top 6, the side walls 4having their forward edges inclined downwardly and forwardly, as clearlyshown in Fig. 2,

and the top wall 6 being relatively narrow The casing is provided with ahinged front having sides 7, and a top 8, which at its rear edge'ishinged as at 9. to the top 6, and the casing is provided at its forwardside with a. sight opening in which is fitted a pane 10 of glass orother transparent material.

The sign carrying drum which is mounted within the casing includes inits structure two heads 11, one of the heads being sup-. ported forrotation upon a hollow shaft 12 fixed in one side 4 of the casing, otherhead of the drum being fixed upon a shaft 13 mounted for rotationin theother side 4 of the casing. The sign members of the drum are preferablyin the nature of transparent plates 14 supported at their ends at theperipheries of the heads 11 and extending between and connecting thesaid heads, there being a number of these sign plates, and the platesbeing adapted to be successively brought to position opposite the Thecasingand the sight opening 10, as the drum is rotated. Each of theseplates bears a certain legend, as previously stated, and the legendswill,'of course, vary, depending upon the use to which the device is tobe put. In order that the plates may be illuminated when brought toposition opposite the sight opening, a conductor wire 15 is led throughthe hollow shaft 12 and supplies current to a lamp 16 mounted at theinner end of this shaft.

For the purpose of rotating the drum, a sprocket wheel 17 is fixed uponthe shaft 13 outwardly of the casing and trained over the sprocket 17 isa sprocket chain 18, the stretches of which are led through short tubesor pipes 20 which are fitted in openings in the building wall in whichthe device is mounted, the wall being indicated in the drawings by thereference character W. The chain 18 is also trained over a sprocketwheel 21 fixed upon one end of a shaft 22 which is mounted upon thehorizontal portion of abearing bracket 23, the vertical portion of whichis secured to the side of the building wall XV. Fixed upon the oppositeend of the shaft 22 is a hand wheel 2a which may be rotated for thepurpose of rotating the said shaft and imparting like movement to thesprocket 21, whereby to rotate the sign drum. Fixed upon theintermediate portion of the shaft 22 is an indicator drum 25 having aplurality of faces 26 which correspond in number to the sign members 14and which faces are provided with legends 27 corresponding in characteror having certain definite relation to the sign plates. The legends uponthe faces of the indicator drum 25 are arranged in order correspondingto the arrangement of the sign plates upon the sign drum and,consequently, when the shaft 22 is rotated so as to rotate the sign drumand bring any desired one of the sign plates in position opposite thesight opening in the casing for the drum, the indicator drum will becorrespondingly rotated and the rearwardly presented one of its faces orsides will present to the view of the operator a legend corresponding tothat upon the exposed sign plate.

In order that the device may be held with its parts stationary after thedesired sign plate has been brought to position opposite the sightopening, a leaf-spring detent member 28 is secured upon the horizontalportion of the bearing bracket 23 at the rear of the drum 25 andnormally exerts a downward pres sure on-said drum. The detent at itspoint of engagement with the drum is angularly bent or offset as at 29so as to engage with the corners of the drum extending between adjacentfaces or sides thereof, and it will be understood that the yieldableengagement of the detent with the indicator drum holds this drum againstrotation as each corner thereof seats in the bend or offset 29, and theparts of the device are in this manner held in adjusted position.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is:

A device of the class described comprising a supporting member, adisplay casing including a fixed section and a movable section, thefixed section being provided with a laterally extending circumferentialattaching flange bearing against the adjacent face of the supportingmember, said fixed section having its top wall shorter than its bottomwall and having its forward edges inclined downwardly, the movablesection being pivotally connected to the free edge of the short top wallof the fixed section and having its rear edges inclined downwardly andoverlapping the inclined forward edges of said fixed section, therebeing a sight opening formed in the movable section at a point oppositethe supporting member, a sign-carrying drum mounted for rotation withinthe display casing, a sprocket wheel arranged on the outside of thecasing at one end thereof and operatively connected with thesign-carrying drum, an illuminating device arranged within thesign-carrying drum, an indicating drum, and a connection between thesprocket wheel of the sign-carrying drum and the indicating drum.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DONAT B. TROTTIER. [n s. lVitnesses:

CLARENCE E. HIBBARD, NAP. CLEMENT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

